Morris 'excited about his progress,' will join Celtics Tuesday

Morris 'excited about his progress,' will join Celtics Tuesday

BOSTON – The debut of Marcus Morris will have to wait at least one more game, according to Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.

Stevens wanted Marcus Morris to get at least one practice in before making his debut with the Celtics, a goal that was achieved – sort of – when he joined the Celtics’ Gatorade League Affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, for a scrimmage in Waltham on Monday.

“He played for a long time, a lot of five-on-five which was really good,” Stevens said. “He’ll join us for practice tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Morris arrived later than any of his teammates for training camp while he and his brother Markieff Morris (who plays for Washington) were in Phoenix on trial for assault charges stemming from an incident in January of 2015.

Both were acquitted on October 3, with Marcus Morris joining the Celtics on October 5.

He would appear in one preseason game, and has been sidelined for the first six regular season games while recovering from left knee soreness that he had prior to arriving for training camp.

Stevens explains why the Celtics have been so cautious with giving Morris the green light to play this season.

“One of the things that we just didn’t want to do is go back and forth all year,” Stevens said. “So, he’s improved a great deal. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. We’re excited about his progress, and he’s excited about his progress which is good.”

Horford can cross skills challenge off his bucket list

Horford can cross skills challenge off his bucket list

LOS ANGELES – After making a near-perfect pass during the early stages of the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Al Horford was feeling good about his chances of winning.

But near the end, the final stage – knocking down a 3-pointer – proved to be Horford’s undoing as Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid eliminated Horford in the first round after Horford missed three consecutive three-pointers.

Embiid, who was eliminated in the next round by Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen, said he was nervous before the event.

“I don’t know why. My heart was beating so fast,” Embiid told reporters. “I have no idea. But I thought it was fun.”

Although Horford has been a part of all-star weekend four times prior to tonight, this was the first time he participated in the Skills Challenge.

“It’s different. I normally come as a fan,” he said. “This time it was a little different, just getting your mind set and come out here and compete and win. It’s good to be a part of it. Now I can just scratch that off.”

The Kyrie brand continues to expand

The Kyrie brand continues to expand

LOS ANGELES – With Tinseltown as the backdrop, Kyrie Irving’s acting debut in the film, "Uncle Drew the Movie," will officially hit movie theaters this summer.

A five-time All-star and NBA champion, Irving is one of the few NBA players with a signature shoe deal.

And that deal, along with him venturing into the film game, speaks to the ever-expansion of the Irving brand. During Saturday’s media scrum, a time when the sports journalism world chimes in with a wide array of questions for the best players on the planet, some of the first ones asked were in regards to his upcoming movie.

They came from former Celtic Nate Robinson, who is in the movie as well.

That said, it still doesn’t diminish the fact that Irving is setting himself up to be more than just a talented basketball player.

“It comes with a lot of sacrifice, privacy,” Irving said before adding, “but you get a chance to put your creative influence and inspiration on things that have helped you develop as a person. You get to share that with the world. That’s pretty awesome. And you get to share it through art, through my game, through different avenues of sponsorship and you’re able to get that message through to people. That’s pretty awesome. I try to take full advantage of that.”

“Sometimes because of the way we’re put on this platform, people have opinions on the way that we should be, how we should act, things that we should be involved with,” Irving said. “The important thing that get’s glazed over is that we’re human beings. So, it’s pretty tough finding that balance.

Irving added, "For me, it’s just about respect all people. That’s something I always try to hammer home, something I was taught as a kid. It’s crazy. You get slack for saying stuff about certain things and feeling strongly, and if you don’t say enough you get the bad end of that as well. If you feel confident and you’re knowledgeable on a lot of things and you feel strongly about it, you should go for it. Everyone has a voice and they should be respected.”